PI
by winter's fever
Summary: Nancy Duff, a vampire hunter starts a search along the tiny west coast town, Santa Carla. Feeling underwhelmed, she goes undercover as a Private Investigator to discover what really is behind all the disappearances in town. Just as suspected she comes acr
1. You Get What You Give

Title: PI

Description: Nancy Duff, a vampire hunter starts a search along the tiny west coast town, Santa Carla. Feeling underwhelmed, she goes undercover as a Private Investigator to discover what really is behind all the disappearances in town. Just as suspected she comes across a gang of outsiders that look suspicious.

Rating : R for violence, sexual content, and crude humor

Disclaimer: I hold no ties to The Lost Boys. Warner Bros. has the crazy punks to deal with. The only thing I can call my own is the plot and my few characters I create such as Nancy and Christian.

Let's start this thing already...

Chapter One: You Get What You Give

Nancy Duff was your typical middle-aged woman. She didn't have any age lines on her face yet but her blue eyes held a past that she longed to forget. She was about nineteen when she first learned about vampires. The idea of a vampire to her was a cape-wearing, bad-Translyvanian-accent speaking, turn-into-a-bat kind. But no, an actual vampire was much worse. The first vampire she seen didn't wear a cape or anything black. He wore a pair of neon gym shorts, a white tank, and a pair of rugged adidas. He wasn't some dark stranger in the night either, he was Charlie, her close friend she met during her short period at college. He was a really nice guy and always offered himself to accompany her on her nightly jogs. After about fifty turn downs, she finally broke down and let the jock be her running buddy. In her mind, she should have known something was different about Charlie, he didn't attend classes during the day, he had a pallor about him, and he was strangely alluring compared to most men on campus. Nancy thought perhaps his sharp features with his feathered brown locks and baby blue eyes were inherited from his father. She didn't know that vampires inherited their looks when they transformed, or what many called coming into the darkness. He had kept smiling at her as if he was hiding something from her, she thought it as a friendly gesture when keeping pace. When they slowed to catch a breathe, he stood behind her instead to her side. He had leaned into her letting his breathe fall on her neck. At that point, Nancy thought he was going to try and rape her. It was a common thought and seemed logical as Charlie seemed to want something out of her, just not sex.

_But that was a long time ago_, Nancy thought to herself. _Digging into the past only digresses from the present. It's time to get back on track. _Today, she had taken a long drive from her apartment back in Los Angeles to Santa Carla, a small town on the coast. The town was smaller than most located on the coast but it had a large population throbbing its shores. Nancy managed to pull a few sources about the town. The town thrived on the boardwalk that stretched a good few miles across the shores of the beach. Senior citizens and blue-collar families were the main attraction to the town. Santa Carla boasted it's boardwalk and it apparently paid off in the end. Santa Carla seemed to boast an increasing disappearance rate too. The missing persons ads had increased by 76 percent since 1982 making a small margin of 5 people going missing per week. Nancy let the missing persons ads help her cut a break in her new case.

Vivian Wood was a mother of three and a stay-at-home mom. Her eldest daughter, Molly, went missing just last week. As far as Nancy could make out, Mrs. Wood was very frantic and upset about it. When she first showed up at her door, Nancy had a good amount of cedar slammed in her face. But that didn't stop her, Nancy was as stubborn as they came and had knocked a second time hoping the woman would come back to the window at least. With great luck, she saw the sagging face and running mascara through the curtains. The second go, Nancy said that she wanted to catch whoever did get her daughter and make them pay, something she failed to mention before. Revenge was sweet and got the mother to open the door willingly this time.

The house was a mess, Vivian must of really been in shambles over her daughter. Two identical boys sat in front of a television set watching Rocky and Bullwinkle, their heads barely turning when she looked down at them. Nancy went on to find out that it was Billy and Sammy, seven-year old twins. Mrs. Wood led them to the kitchen and offered Nancy a seat at the table which she accepted. Vivian sat across from her wiping down the table with a wet rag before leaning forward on it. Nancy set her bag on a cleared spot and pulled out a notepad from it. It only seemed right to take notes despite the fact most of what Mrs. Wood would say would go right into her head and not on a pad. _Might make for good reference later. _Mrs. Wood did not have much to share other than when her daughter had left the house and when she had found out her daughter had really gone missing. Trying to share sympathy, Nancy only asked a few personal questions about Molly. Mrs. Wood described her daughter as an honor student who loved to participate in her school's drama club and hang out with her friends on the weekends. _Don't all parents try and chalk up their child as if they were the saint of Christ._ Mrs. Wood had been kind enough to give a few friends' names and addresses for Nancy to look up in her own time. With that, Nancy left the house feeling a little relieved that she had something to go on.

The apartment she rented looked lonely. It was shabby with faded gray walls that must have been white at sometime. The wooden floors were dated and creaked all the time even while Nancy laid in bed. It was three rooms; a bathroom, a bedroom, and a kitchen/living room. It was nice for one person but she couldn't imagine a family of four squeezing into it. She shrugged her jacket off before setting the bag she had been carrying the last four hours beside it. Sometimes these simple days seemed to last forever. The only part of the day she was looking forward to was the night when she could hunt freely without being spotted. It was about seven minutes after two, leaving a good five or six hours until sunset. _A nap would be a good time filler_, she thought as she yawned silently. Taking her own thought to truth, she kicked her tennis shoes off and plopped her rigid body on the spongy bed. _Hmmm...maybe I won't go out tonight_, she smiled to herself as her body went limp.

- - - - -

Nancy woke to the sound of a shrill ringing. Wrapping the covers around her ears, the ringing didn't subside. Opening her eyes slowly, she realized the phone was the ringing. _Oh, five more minutes, please. _She deserved it, having to put up with enough bullshit today. She lifted her head off the mattress and pulled the receiver off the hook. _This better be damn important._

"Hello?" Her voice sounded dry and tired.

"Have a nice nap?" A strong British male voice came through. _Chris, Chris was calling her. He better have some info for me or he'll have hell to pay when I get back to LA. _

Christian Marcs was the same age as herself, a ripe age of thirty-one. He was an average male, he was a small guy with a big ego. His looks were simple, dirty blonde hair that laid to his chin and a set of hazel eyes that hid behind black wire-framed glasses. Nancy never understood why he wore those glasses all the time, they were only for reading. One of the many quirks of Chris. His quirks managed to put a smile on her face. Chris was the one and only man in her life and that only happened on bad luck.

"If you consider ringing in your ears a comfort." Nancy untangled her legs from the sheets and sat on the edge of the bed. "You better have something good to tell me."

"I was wondering if you got in okay." She could hear the corners of his mouth curl up. She couldn't help but embellish a sigh over the receiver.

"I got in fine." Nancy checked the clock on the VCR under the television. It was 6:27 pm. "You should only call when you've picked up some information on Santa Carla or about the missing persons. I don't have time for your mind games."

"Mind games? Whatever are you talking about?" He was trying to pull that innonence routine with her. It didn't work anytime before and it wouldn't work this time.

"You cannot forget your promises to me." Nancy lectured, pulling herself off the bed, stretching her legs. "_**Never**_ mix business with pleasure."

"I'm not mixing anything." He was probably biting his own tongue out of his mouth now. "The only thing I'm feeling right now is concern for my dear partner in crime, Nancy."

"I don't commit crimes, I kill the undead." Nancy corrected him.

Chris had some weird feelings of love or something for her. She wasn't the emotional type and she couldn't get involved with others romantically with the job she had. Slaying vampires was a socially detracting job and becoming attached was something she learned a long time ago was a huge no-no. No nookie equals great hunting and slaying capabilities. Besides, Chris wasn't her type of guy, if she really knew what type she liked. She hadn't gone on a date in over twelve years, unless you consider the times she went out with Chris to Blue Moon, a little Japanese restaurant, for late dinners after long days of work. _I'll probably be alone the rest of my life and have a dozen cats living with me. My dream life._

"If I get anything new, I'll let you know." Chris decided to switch back to work mode. "It's a bit desolate here at the office. I hope you'll be back soon."

"You sound like a wimpering puppy dog." Nancy smiled as she pulled a pair of jeans up over her panties. "You should go with it, the ladies will be all over you."

"The accent attracts plenty of flesh for fantasy." He had to be smirking. _Quirky, British bastard. _

"Stratch all use of Billy Idol titles and/or lyrics." Nancy pushed her feet into her tennis shoes. "Pop culture references are overrated. Just stick with the accent."

"Well, then, I hope you'll come back _**very**_ soon." He had purred into the receiver trying to give his accent as much sexual innueudo as possible.

"I gotta go." Nancy checked the VCR a second time. It was 6:58 pm.

Before waiting for a reply, she slammed the receiver down on the hook. _Sorry, Chris, duty calls. _She took a seat on the bed and grabbed a hair tie from the side table bunching her curly brown hair into a messy bun. It would have to do, she only has so many limited hours and most of it didn't go toward the beautification of herself. She pulled a canvas bag from under the belly of the bed and set it on top of the mattress. It held your standard vampire slaying materials: holy water, crosses, hellfire, stakes, and mallets. One of these days, she was going to have to get herself one of those crossbows. She grabbed a stake and a vile of Holy water before tucking the bag back under the bed. She stood up a second time, stretching again, hearing her bones crack softly. Even though it was not good for her back, she loved the crunching sound of the bones. _Has to be the sadistic side of me. _She found her brown leather jacket where she left it, safely on the sidetable by the front door. She tucked the stake and holy water into a secret pocket she sewed herself, and slipped it around her bare shoulders. She took a long, drawn breathe before opening the door to the apartment.

There was something about hunting that made her bones ache. The excitement that she may find a vampire and the disappointment she would feel if she came up empty-handed. She could feel the blood rushing up and down her legs and arms,

tingling in her toes and fingers. It reminded her of the pleasure she succumbed to during sex and right before she indulged into a container of chocolate ice cream. It felt best in this form, giving her a internal advantage against any nightwalker.

- - - - -

The first half hour was uneventful, she searched the crowd for suspicious looking people. People that stuck out among the polo-wearing and bike-shorts-toting yuppies. Nothing, she was even getting bored from circling the boardwalk. _If something doesn't pop up, I'll turn in early._ Answering her prayers and pleas, she heard a girl shouting.

"Give them those back, you asshole!" The girl was about 5'3 and hardly a match to the six-footish predator. "Give me my comics, you dipshit, I paid for those!"

_She did have one hell of a mouth, I could give her that much. _The man standing over the young teenager was clad in ripped jeans, a dirty polo, and a leather vest. His hair screamed Flock of Seagulls as it stood up as if he stuck his finger in a light socket. He ripped the comics from the girl's hand and shoved her on the ground. A second later, two boys appeared from behind the girl, giving a hard glare at the man that overshadowed them by many feet. _Maybe I'll wait and see what happens... _Nancy held back any need to charge to the girl's rescue.

"Hey, man, what do you think you're doing?" This boy had longer hair than his counterpart and had a bandana tied around his forehead, letting his tousled brown hair flop over. His eyes remained hard, not flinching in the great brute's presence.

The large man laughed before throwing the comics at the girl on the ground.

"What's it to you, _**Frogman**_?" The brute poked a finger at the boy's chest. The other boy helped the girl up as she gathered her comics off the ground.

"You shouldn't pick on customers, especially while you are on our property." The quieter boy said letting go his grasp of the girl. He had shorter and darker hair than his friend and softer features.

"I don't see your name on it!" The man teased.

"I don't see Property of Dipshit on any of these!" The girl said waving her comics in the air. The man turned and grunted sourly. He raised his hand and formed it into a fist.

_Quite a mouth to lead to certain death._ Before she knew it, Nancy was right there with a firm grip of the man's fist. He was stronger but she was able to move fast enough around him. She launched him, twisting his arm fully around and letting his rotten flesh hit the cement hard with a crack. He was out cold. _You get what you give. _The girl, wide-eyed, took off down the boardwalk, not looking back.

"I'm sure we could have handled the situation, Wonder Woman." The Rambo look-a-like stepped forward nudging the knocked out man at the thigh.

"Does handling the situation usually mean getting a black eye?" Nancy turned her eyes on him giving him a second glance. He was shrouded in army fatigues. A pair of camoflauge pants and a brown t-shirt with a cut-off forest green vest. The boy narrowed his eyes at her before holding out a hand.

"Edgar Frog," He grunted.

Nancy hestitated a moment and dropped her hand in his, his hand firmly shook hers. He had a strong grip, maybe he could take on a huge guy like the leather face. She dropped her hand and saw a second hand in front of her face. This one belonging to the less cheeky of the two.

"This is my brother, Alan." Edgar dropped a hand on his brother's shoulder. "We are the Frog Brothers."

He made it sound like they were wide known around the world. Perhaps they were a circus act. _**Come see the amazing Frog Brothers get bushwhacked by a brute three times the size of them! **_The inner thought made her snicker. Of all the things she had seen so far in her life, she hardly seen two young boys stand up quite like they did. They had balls and she had to give them credit for that.

"Nancy Duff, Private Investigator." It rolled off her tongue with ease. She was getting used to the title, she had been going by it for months.

"A PI?" Edgar held some shock in his voice. He looked like he was contemplating whether he would share anything else with her. Whenever she said that, the same look always ran over the person's face.

"What are you doing in Santa Carla?" Alan said picking up some of the knocked over comics. She leaned down and helped him.

"Investigating." She'd let the boys' minds wonder what they will.

She stood up and looked down at the cover art to the comic book lying on top of the pile. 'Vampires Everywhere' it bolded stated. It had a man wearing a blood red cape and holding a woman clutched in his arms, hanging limply with two red dots, dripping blood down her throat.

"I thought comic books were about superheroes." Nancy held the book up to the boys. "You know, like Superman and Spiderman?"

Alan grabbed the stack she held and shoved them back into their cardboard box. Edgar just shook his head and turned back into the store they had stepped out of minutes earlier. She wasn't leaving without an answer, her stubborness getting the best of her.

"What's with the sudden mute attitudes?" She followed the boys into the rows of comics. Edgar turned around.

"Comics come in all shapes and forms, and don't always center around the good guys." There was a serious tone in his voice that scared her. "Vampires are one of the many unholy creations of god that are portrayed in comic books."

_Unholy creations? Who ever uses that term for a vampire? Edgar seems to have read one too many vampire comics._ It was time for some investigation and it would start here with these boys. _There is something behind what they are saying, they just don't want to to tell me. _She'd make them fess up, it was her job after all.

"Is there something you'd like to share with me?" Nancy put her hands in the air questionally. "'Cuz, I feel like I'm a few cards short of a deck here."

"Just because your are a Private Investigator, you really think you know what's up in this town." Edgar tried putting as much attitude in that statement. Intimidation was one way to frighten the enemy. Too bad she wasn't the enemy.

"It would help if you could enlighten me. Santa Carla seems to accumlate the highest death and missing persons rate out of any town or city in the country." Nancy let her hand settle along the edge of the display case.

"Even if we told you, you wouldn't believe us." Alan leaned forward. Edgar pushed Alan back away from her and let his hard gaze fall on her.

"We don't have to tell you anything." Edgar spat at her.

"Oh, _**now**_ there is something to tell me?" Nancy let her bitchy side take over.

"If we tell you, you gotta promise not to laugh or go to the authorities." Alan pointed a comic book accusingly at her.

"Scout's honor." She held her hand up. "Let's hear it."

"Vampires aren't a fairy tale story to get your kids to bed." Edgar started.

"They are real, bone and flesh, and they are right here in Santa Carla." Alan finished for his brother.

Now they were getting somewhere.

- - - - -

First chapter, how'd I do? I feel pretty excited about this one. More over than Shadows in the Night. I feel like this one has more potential and substance. Don't get me wrong, I love SITN, it's just been hard to continue. I'm already working on a second and third chapter for this one. Hopefully, this baby will come to fruition, if I'm lucky._** Don't forget to leave reviews!**_

_**-nocturnal**_


	2. All Work and No Play

Title: PI

Description: Nancy Duff, a vampire hunter starts a search along the tiny west coast town, Santa Carla. Feeling underwhelmed, she goes under cover as a Private Investigator to discover what really is behind all the disappearances in town. Just as suspected she comes across a gang of outsiders that look suspicious.

Rating : R for violence, sexual content, and crude humor

Disclaimer: I hold no ties to The Lost Boys. Warner Bros. has the crazy punks to deal with. The only thing I can call my own is the plot and my few characters I create such as Nancy and Chris.

_**So you wanted an encore?**_

Chapter Two: All Work and No Play Makes Nancy a Dull Girl

Nancy rolled her eyes for the fifth time in the last half hour. The Frog Brothers had much to say and weren't afraid to say it. Granted, most of it sounded like complete bull and Nancy was sure much of it was. Some things registered in her mind back to articles she read and ads relating to the missing persons ad. _Too bad I didn't think to bring my legal pad with me, some of the drivel would probably make good notes. _She was certain most of the information had leaked into the two boys brains from the numerous comics they read in the shop.

"It's dangerous for anybody to live in this town. You should leave while you still have the chance." That was the third threat she had gotten from Edgar, it was starting to urk her.

"You have not given me a reason to leave." Nancy snapped back and watched Edgar's face become pale before he spoke again.

"Have you not been listening to my brother and me?" Edgar threw a hand at his brother, Alan, who sported a look of comtempt at Nancy.

"Yes." Nancy had to keep them on her good side even though they were walking that thin line. "And I think that there are vampires in Santa Carla, that could very well explain all the disappearances. The place is a vacation spot, easy pickings for the right bloodsucker. I just wanna know one thing."

Edgar and Alan looked at each other and looked back at Nancy hesitant. Edgar nodded his head letting her continue with the question.

"Have you ever faced one before?" Nancy leaned against the wooden table. _This should be interesting._

"Well, no." Alan said quietly feeling rather ashamed after the lengthy monologue about vampires. Edgar had his head low as well, looking like a child who was about to be scolded.

She knew before they answered the truth. The two would never be so boastful and determined on the subject otherwise. Vampires weren't a kind subject for any hunters, they hunted them and that's all they needed to know. Well, prying information from folks was a good way to find them too, but it was all the same. Now it was time for the scolding.

"It's good that you know about them." Nancy watched as their faces looked back up at her. "So when you do face one, you'll know what to do."

"What would that be?" Alan's eyebrows furrowed equally to his counterpart.

"Run and tell me." Nancy winked at them.

The boys faces flushed a light pink and she could notice a small sigh come from both of them. They were too young to face something so cruel and fierce. She wasn't going to give her identity away but she wanted them to understand that she could help them if they were ever in any real danger. It was her job. That was her cue to leave, she started toward the door when Edgar leaned over and touched her arm.

"Here." He pulled the 'Vampires Everywhere' comic from the shelves and set it in her left palm. "Our number is on the back. Call _us_ if you need any help."

_What a thoughtful gesture. Too bad I can't, it'd be bad enough having one victim under my inner turmoil meter but I don't need to add two._

"Don't worry, I will." Nancy folded the comic in her back pocket. She gave them a hopeful smile and waved to them goodbye as she left the shop.

Edgar walked back over to Alan who admiringly stared at the figure of the women they just befriended. Edgar clamped a hand over his brother's shoulder.

"I like her." He replied and watched his brother grin widen.

- - - -

"What do I owe the pleasure?" _He really can get any girl with that accent. _

Last night had been slightly eventful and Nancy now had some contacts in town. Granted, they were some gawdy teenagers that had "Vampire bad" on the brain. She came home after her chat with Edgar and Alan and had looked over some of the articles she had copied sometime ago. She hadn't found any new leads from those and decided that tomorrow morning she'd call Chris and see if he had anything at all. Now morning came after much needed rest and she wanted something. _Desperate times call for desperate measures. _

"Please tell me you have some sliver of something for me." She almost pleaded into the receiver.

"Oh, you know how I feel about you, Nancy." She heard a quiet giggle from the other end.

"Sometimes I wish you were a vampire. It'd make it all the easier to kill you." Nancy replied venomously at him. He only giggled harder making her wish he was there to get a real beating from her.

"Really, I don't have any news." He settled himself finally giving her a more serious tone. "How was the hunting last night?"

"Pretty dull. I didn't find much while I prowled around. I think I knew that I wasn't going to find much anyway." Nancy turned on her back on the mattress letting the phone cord interwine on her index finger. "I did manage to find a decent contact though."

"You are bound to find others of your calibur in a vamp infested town." Chris seemed to believe she had made contact with another vampire hunter like herself. _Time to disappoint him._

"No, not another hunter, Chris." Nancy stretched out on the bed and she moaned loudly, it felt good as her bones ached.

"You okay?" A strange tiny voice protruded on the line, Chris must have been aroused by it.

"Yeah, I'm just stretching. Don't expect me to be making any mating calls for you." Nancy couldn't help but smile as she let her mind wonder how Chris looked at that moment.

At the moment, she also had a needed desire to kill something. It was too early to hunt, only a little after noon. _I better find a vampire tonight, I deserve it. _

"You have a very sexy moan, I may add." Chris's voice was normal again. "I wonder..."

"Don't even try to finish that sentence. It will get you nowhere." Nancy turned on her belly, letting her elbows grind on the white sheets that laid crumpled on the bed. "I have to go."

"You always leave me hanging." Chris groaned.

"You are the one letting yourself hang. Bye." Nancy dropped the phone on the receiver.

She always enjoyed Chris's company, he was an amazingly intelligent guy. She had only considered him to ever be her partner and to help her with all her little endeavours. Not to mention, he was handsome, when he wanted to be. He was a nerd at heart but didn't look the stereotype. It helped that he was British giving him an air of dignity and properness. She could always respect that.

Nancy pushed herself up out of the bed and across the small apartment to the bathroom. She stared at herself in the tiny mirror above the sink absentmindedly. Her skin was tanner than a few days ago when she had arrived due to all the day time running errands. She was used to working at night---a non-tan type of job. Since she had been taking this Santa Carla case with such interest, she filled more time up than usual with trying to find anything linking to vampire activity. Tons and tons of people were missing but who knows? There could be some Ted Bundy-type hacking them up into pieces and frying them into hamburgers right now. _Fat chance_. _People are missing but where are the bodies? Vamps just usually eat their food and leave it to seagulls or whatever decomposers are near by. These vampires love to play with their food. Maybe I'm really facing an actual challenge. My life could be danger. _Nancy laughed out loud at the thought. She had never felt her life had been threatened except for the incident in college with Charlie. That was something that almost killed her, something she loved to avoid for the rest of her life.

"I will find these vampires." She swore to herself in front of the dirty mirror. Her blue eyes peered back at her showing a defiance that boiled up inside of her body. "I have to."

She pulled her t-shirt off and pulled her panties down around her ankles. She hung them up on the empty towel rack and pulled the shower curtain back; twisting the knob and letting the water stream burst through the head. She pulled the curtain back and rummaged under the sink to find a clean looking towel and hung it up on the rack next to her clothing. A second later she stepped in the shower, scrubbing down her body and washing her hair quickly. The hard stream beat on her back relieving tension that had made residence in her body in recent years. _I got to be getting too old to slay vampires. My body cramps up more than my Great Aunt Meredith._ She turned the showerhead off a few minutes later and pulled the curtain open. She squeezed her hair tightly, letting the water drip down onto the tile floor. She wrapped the towel hanging on the rack around her and stepped out into the apartment. _I'm getting tired again. I think I'll rest for a minute._ Nancy laid back on the bed clutching the towel tightly around her chest and closed her eyes. _Only for a minute..._

- - - -

Nancy blinked rapidly before opening her eyes to complete darkness. She felt disorientated and confused for a moment until she remembered that she fell asleep on the bed. It was pitch black in the room, objects barely visible to the naked eye. She pulled herself up into a sitting position, pulling her towel back up on her after it slouched down._ What time is it?_ She groped to the right feeling for the bedside table . She hit wood a second later and soon switched the lamp on, setting the room aglow. It looked the same except the windows showed a black sky with bright lights surrounding it from the boardwalk. She turned her head to the VCR panel and saw the clock read 9:34 in bright neon green. _Oh shit! No more sleeping without setting an alarm or some shit like that. _

She pulled herself up from the bed and pulled her suitcase out from under the bed. She gathered some clothing and changed in a fast manner. She put her undergarments on first followed by a pair of ripped jeans and a plain snug-fitted grey t-shirt._ My chest is huge! I didn't think my breasts were this big. _Nancy frowned as she stared at her chest._ It has to be the shirt, it's tight. Geez. _She pulled a pair of old work boots on her feet, she'd worry about socks later. She stuffed the suitcase back under the bed and pulled her canvas bag out with her materials. She wrapped a crucify around her neck on a chain and tucked it under the shirt promptly in her cleavage. She pulled out a small knife and tucked it in the back of her pants and lastly pulled out a sharply pointed stake and stashed it in her leather jacket. She pulled the jacket on her shoulders and tousled her hair aside.

It took only a short ten minutes to reach the main part of the boardwalk. She scoped the area as well as she could despite the vast amount of people. She had to tiptoe most of the area, sidestepping many avid walkers that didn't have time for minglers. At one point, she sat herself up on a fence planted in a less crowded area that seemed more secluded and attracted a different type of visitor. She saw lots of leather and motorbikes, a huge difference to the worried parent and overly hyper child yelling and skipping along side the parent, yanking hard on their arm. This crowd was meaner and darker. She could understand why it was secluded and not as brightly lit, it wasn't meant to be found.

She noticed only groups so far, no loners wandering in these crowds. A large biker gang sat outside a sleazy looking bar called "The Toad", they looked too old and all had beer guts---not the least bit attractive which what vampires were. Another group looked like a bunch of 12 to 15 years old who committed petty crimes such as stealing and vandalism. Nothing that was screaming vampire to her. _This is such a bust. Maybe there are no vampires here. Maybe those Frog guys were just yanking my chain. They were probably on some kind of drugs like their parents were, laying in the corner of the shop. _She couldn't bring her spirit down, there was vampires here. She just hadn't found the right spot they hunted in. But they had to be at the boardwalk! It's the busiest place in the entire town, it's the most logical and sensible thing. She banged her foot against the railing and let it reverberate quietly in her rage.

"Hey, hey!" A high voice rose in the night. She looked up to see a grinning 13-year-old staring at her. He wore ripped up shorts and an ugly aged brown leather vest, his skinny chest exposed underneath. "You looking to get laid?"

She couldn't help but snicker. _The kid had to be joking. I mean, look at his multicolored mohawk for Christ's sake! _

"You should be in bed." She slid off the rail and crossed her arms over her chest. "Go home."

"What the fuck, bitch?!" He yelled, anger twisted on his face. "You ain't my goddamned mother."

"No, I'm not." Nancy spitted in his face. "But if I was, I'd be tanning your ass for hanging around here."

"Don't you talk about my moms!" Then he did something she wouldn't have expected. He pulled a little knife out and held in firmly in his hand, daring to attack.

Nancy stood stock still ready to face any attack. _The kid's an amateur at best. I'll be able to easily counter whatever he does. _There was a second beat and the kid lunged forward letting an angry roar out from his mouth. She sidestepped his lunge and firmly grasped his wrist wielding the knife. He slammed hard up against the railing and Nancy shoved him against it. For a safety measure, she twisted the young boy's hand behind his back. She leaned down to his ear, hoping he would clearly understand what she was ready to say.

"Didn't your mother tell you to never play with knives?" She wriggled the knife from his sweaty palm and held it off to the side, just far enough in the kid's view.

"Letmego!Letmego!" He panicked as he shook now under her grasp._ I took away his toy and now he cries. _He whimpered a bit as she sheathed the knife and stuck it in her pocket.

"You better run home and get in you bed, where you belong." She lectured before shoving the kid lightly away from her.

He looked at her a moment, tears set in his eyes. He was ready to go home and cry to his mother, like someone his age should do. He tripped as he tried to regain his composure but just stumbled out of her view before streaking out of there like lightning. _What is with kids today, huh? _She pulled the little knife out of her pocket and examined it closely. The handle was completely charcoal-colored except a small skull and crossbones that was etched into the bottom corner. _Neat, maybe the kid did that himself. Guess he didn't miss the arts and craft day at summer camp. I think I'm just gonna turn in early again, I just keep fighting off thugs every night. _She dropped the knife in the nearest garbage can she spotted and headed back to her apartment.

She swerved back and forth among the lingering crowds that were still compacted into the walkways all over the boardwalk. She decided to catch her breath at an open space at a railing facing the waterfront. She looked down at the beach, it was suprising crowded with young, teenage types. Bonfires lit a trail along it with hordes of young drunk people hovering over them dancing and chatting with one another. _Why hadn't this occured to me before? Gosh, I'm such a tard._ The waterfront was the perfect place to hunt and vampires always preyed on the weak. Teenagers are as weak as humans could be and there was a colony of them swarming right out there in the warm evening air. Not tonight though, tomorrow she could get a better scope. Maybe even a would-be location of the vampire's layer, so to speak. She stood a minute longer taking in every detail she could about the area. Checked for secluded or dark parts or even clearings farther away from the ocean that was better feeding ground. There were many she spotted, some that seemed to be occupied at those very minutes. It was more likely some drunk teens were having sex than getting bit by a vampire and getting the blood drained from their bodies. _Tomorrow, tomorrow. _She repeated this word in her head as she continued focusing herself on getting home.

If Nancy had been a little more focused she would have noticed a pair of eyes gently watching her among the throng of ongoers walking to their next destination. The character tightened his jaw, rubbing his tongue against an aching sharp incisor within his mouth.

- - - -

Hmmm...this is by far the best story I have ever attempted. I have to say reading fanfiction, really good fanfiction make it easier to write it.

The next chapter will be in a different character's Point of View so prepare to get a different scope. I'm sure I'll switch off between Nancy's and the other character's.

Please REVIEW! All the feedback helps me loads!!!

-Nocturnal


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